Glen Campbell 1936 – 2017

It is with heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and legendary singer and guitarist, Glen Travis Campbell, at the age of 81, following his long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Glen is survived by his wife, Kim Campbell of Nashville, TN; their three children, Cal, Shannon and Ashley; his children from previous marriages, Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane, and Dillon; ten grandchildren, great- and great-great-grandchildren; sisters Barbara, Sandra, and Jane; and brothers John Wallace “Shorty” and Gerald.

A personal statement from Kim Campbell will follow.

The family appreciates your prayers and respect for their privacy at this time.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Glen Campbell Memorial Fund at BrightFocus Foundation, which will support Alzheimer’s research and education. BrightFocus drives innovative research worldwide and promotes awareness to defeat Alzheimer’s. All contributions are tax-deductible.

I am so sorry. I have followed Glen’s career from childhood…Dad would blast his albums from his stereo below my room to get me up on Saturday mornings. My father now has dementia and we are going through some of the same struggles and sadness that I imagine y’all have been through. My thoughts and prayers are with you..it is the long goodbye.

Years ago between 92-96, I had the blessed opportunity to meet Glen at his theater in Branson,,NO.
My first year in Branson, I went and saw him and daughter Debbie in his show.
It was such an honor and privelage to meet Glen during intermission. He was such a kind, considerate, friendly and caring man, very helpful in giving his advice as I began my own young career as a gospel vocalist. He autographed one his books, and gave it to me, all the while smiling at me and saying that he wished me the best in my endeavours, and that he would pray for me.
I still have the autographed biography he gave me from years ago, and the memory of my meeting one of my heroes in music.
God Bless You Glen Campbell.
May You RIP.
My sincerest prayers go out to all of the Campbell Family during this most difficult time.

To the Campbell Family,
My thoughts and prayers are with each of you during this difficult time. A courageous battle was fought, hard to witness by those who loved Glen. I can relate to witnessing a slow fade, as my daddy fought Lewy Body Dementia for 7 years. The journey you took along his side, I would guess, was not easy during his illness.
I know the heartache and the grief that follows, yet I also know that our loved ones have been set free from the tragic disease. He fought the good fight, with you by his side.
May, the happiest of memories be the fuel that carry you through the days and times to come. God be with each of you and bring upon you perfect peace, comfort, and strength.

Glen brought a familiar face to this horrible disease! He was diagnosed shortly after my mother & I’ve been following his path since. Grew up listening to his songs & felt a closeness in both of their journeys. My mother is now end stage as well in full care facility being cared for around the clock. I get where the family has been & i am thankful for their sharing this journey . Rest in peace Glen. To the family you are in my prayers!
Donna C.

My heart goes out to Glen’s family and friends. It is truely a devastating disease that I also lost my Mom to. I have wonderful memories, way back when I was little listening to Glen Campbell albums with my Mom and Dad, they loved him. I cherish those memories. My thoughts are with you.

I lost my brilliant father to Alzheimer’s in January after a 7 yr battle. When I first learned about Glen, I began to follow your online comments. I felt your pain in watching such an exceptional person lose the ability to do what he had loved. Like you, I was able to still see my dad despite the ravages of the disease and he somehow maintained his essence, which was his basic decency as a human being. I was never so proud of him than during those last months when he fought so hard to stay with us. My heart is with you today as it has been for the last several years. I am sad for your loss, but I think may share the feeling of peace in knowing that our loved ones are now again free to be all that they were in our hearts and memories. May God bless and comfort you and God speed Glen.

I remember when the song ” I’m not going to miss you came out”. I was caring for my 92 year old mom who had senile dementia and I faced so many challenges 24/7. It seemed like someone understood my journey and I felt such perfect love listening to the voice of Glen Campbell. Now he is singing to my mom in the heavens. Till we meet again. God bless this great family for their courage and love in beating this disease with kindness, empathy, music and eternal love!!❤️🙏🏻

Gone too soon. He will be missed. He brought a lot of joy and happiness to so many and he was so unselfish. He gave of himself. I will always remember his Goodtime Hour program in the summer back in the seventies. Our family always watched and loved his show. All our condolences to the family.

My heart goes out to you and your Family. I thank you and Glen for bringing awareness to Alzheimer’s Disease and the devastating challenges it can have within a Family. The frustration before, during and after diagnosis is challenging for all involved. It was so reassuring to see the way Glen was trying to help others through his struggle. My 82 year old Mother has Dementia-Alzheimer’s type. Your Family helped us find additional ways to learn to cope with the many facets this disease causes. Our hearts are with you at this difficult time.
Much love and prayers. Nancy Ricks and Family

May your hearts be comforted with the memories of Glen’s music that will continue to play on forever. He so touched many hearts as we will continue to touch your families heart in his memory. May you find peace in these memories. God Bless you all!

God speed your journey Glen , you’ve truly earnt your promotion to Glory.
Every concert you performed in New Zealand I followed you through the years. Your voice will be played & heard by myself till I too will leave this earth. Thanks for the wonderful times you gave us here. R.I.P. Buddy.

My condolences Kim to you and family. Glen is in a much better place then to be suffering further with this disease that is unbelievable. My mother is in her final stages of dementia now and I play a lot of Glen’s songs that she hums and sings too when she is able. Music is a blessing for my mother and Glen is a contributor to her happiness when his songs play.

Glen is now leading the heavenly choir in No More Night. As good as he made it sound here, it must sound 100 times better in heaven. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2Ti 4:7-8)
Thank you, Kim and family, for glorifying God through this hard and long road! May God give you His peace!

Heaven just got another angel. RIP Glen. Sending my heartfelt condolences to you Kim and your family. My mother suffered from this disease before it took her 3 years ago. I have been a fan of Glen’s music for 50 years since 1967 when I was 18 years old. He will be sorely missed and I was deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing, but the greatest gift Glen gave was being so open and honest about Alzheimers. I watched the documentary when it came out and it was beautiful and touching. Take good care of yourself Kim. You are doing great work!

My heart is broken…this is such a great loss for his family, friends, and fans like me. His years in the music industry reaches back to sharing his talents with so many artists. Not only will his music live on in the hearts of all who loved him, his legacy will never be forgotten. He’s in the presence of the Jesus and is rejoicing.

Working in a Special Care Unit for Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients as a Registered Nurse has been a blessing to my life. My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and passed away in 1990. He was an avid Country Music Fan. Heard many Glen Campbell songs through my lifetime. Ride on “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

May I offer my condolences to you Kim and your whole family? I derived much pleasure, and even inspiration from hearing Glen sing. Such memorable songs. I first heard a Glen Campbell song on a radio in a rental room in Putney, England. It was one of those seminal moments when you fall in love with this talent.

I know the journey of Alzheimer’s. I lost my wife to it a year ago. My was of coping was, in a sense, through music – the music of poetry. I wrote a lot of it. It helped to combat the depression, etc.

That resulted in a book of poetry. I call it “Chasing a Butterfly” because that was my Ann as she fluttered about trying to find herself. It is my journey in poems of love and loss to acceptance – the poetry of Alzheimer’s and poetry for everybody. For me, it was healing.

God has welcomed home another loving soul. Glen brought much joy to me and so many others thru his music, and thru a remarkable documentary, allowed us to learn more about Alzheimer’s and what it is like to deal with it. I will continue to keep Glen in my heart always and his music will be part of my life until I am called home. My heartfelt prayers to Glen’s family. He is now safe in God’s loving arms.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family! He had a huge impact on me with his music in the early 70s. Now that I am nearing 50 his music still takes me back to the good old days! He will be missed! Thanks Glen for all that you did!

May all of Glen’s children and wife feel the love and prayers from the hearts of many fans!
When I was in 4th grade I saved a few $$ to join the Glen Campbell fan club. Such a great memory of mine! Praying for peace and comfort for all of you! Always, ‘Gentle on my mind’!❤️😇

Deepest sympathy to Kim & family. I want to share my FB post today: “Many times while doing other things, LIFE happens. The role of caretaker unexpectantly falls on a family member. It becomes abundantly clear you didn’t enroll in a college course or independent study to assist with your new caretaker role. Baptism by fire, sums it up best.

Kim’s story [here] is inspirational and revealing since it defines so eloquently, “until death do us part.” It touches a personal nerve. Her efforts these last years definitely qualify Kim with a nod to sainthood.

I just want to say I’m praying for your whole family. My Mom loved Glen’s music and now he can play for all the saints in heaven. We know there’s music right! Prayers for the difficult days ahead. May God’s peace rule in your hearts. Hugs

My greatest memories growing up was listening to my family play the guitars and sing Glen Campbell songs. His songs remind me of home and to me, that is priceless. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Campbell family, God bless.

To the family and friends of Glen Campbell: May you all somehow find comfort during this most difficult time. I am so touched and impressed that he continued to make music during his final years on this planet. Now the heavens are able to host a new version of the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and everyone there is blessed to be there with him. I can only imagine the music he is making there, with friends who left this world before he did, and for newcomers.
Rest in peace, Mr. Campbell.
PS – Thank you to Kim for creating this wonderful foundation

My heart goes out to you, Iam a nurse in a memory care facility and I know what this terrible disease does to a person , god bless you all, we have truly lost a truly remarkable man, I have enjoyed his music for so many years.RIP Glen, you truly are in a better place. Mary Caldiran

I was glad the TV special didn’t mask what your husband and the family went through with Glen’s illness.
I was also glad you focused attention on his faith, and your faith in Jesus Christ & God helping y’all during the last few years.
I can moreso appreciate this because when Glen resided in Phoenix AZ, I heard him give his testimony of faith in God and Jesus Christ. It was while I was in Phoenix on a business trip with my employer, Honeywell, that I attended North Phoenix Baptist Church, where Glen Campbell spoke then sang the special music.
I believe his music was God given to our world, but more importantly, if a person confesses & possess Jesus Christ, this step is more important than anything we ever do in this life. To stand before our Maker claiming the blood of Jesus Christ, is all that will matter then. To hear God say, “my good & faithful servant, welcome home”.

I am a husband to my beautiful wife Connie, a dad to 2 boys & 2 girls, and 8 grandsons, some who live nearby to Nashville, in Huntsville.

God bless the Campbell family!

PS,Tell Ashley the message still rings forth, but now from the portals of Heaven,
“Whatever you do today, honor the Lord”

I’m heartbroken over our collective loss of Glen. During his Alzheimer’s decline, my father declined with it as well and passed away. I’ve felt close to you all even though we’ve never met. Your dad’s music brought me great comfort especially his song A Better Place. If you’re anything like me, this time is bittersweet. What a huge loss for your family, but Glen has freedom now from a horrible disease. Though we’ve never met, we are in this together. Sending love and healing thoughts to you. Your husband is most certainly free and in a Better Place now. <3

My Dad, knowing that I was a Glen Campbell teenage fan, took me to see Glen perform when I was 14 years old at the Garden State Arts Center on the night he recorded his live album. His music was the soundtrack of my youth. My thought and prayers go out to the Campbell family during this time.

Dear Campbell Family, I want to express my sincere condolences for the passing of your husband/father/grandpa, Glen Campbell. I was deeply moved emotionally by his passing, even though I have never met him. I recently found out that my husband has Alzheimers, he is in early stage. It really hit me hard that this journey is not going to be easy. I thank you, Kim, for your Care Living Organization and helping caregivers care for their loved ones.
You are all in my prayers during this difficult time. Peace. Love. Blessings.

I am sending much love and prayers to you all. I grew up with Glen and his songs and his Good Time Hour show. Such an amazing and awesome man. His songs were from the heart and he gave us all a gift of himself each time he sang. He lives on in his music and we will love him forever. He is a legend and will be here always. God Bless you all and remember he is looking down on you and smiling and singing! He now is with his buddies. They are singing for the Lord now.

I send my love and prayers to you all. He gave us all a gift of himself every time he sang because it came from his soul. He is loved by many and he will live on through his music. God has him by his side now and he no longer is hurting. This has opened up my eyes to a loved one in my own family with the early signs and I am grateful to you all for sharing. My love to you all. I have been listening to his music pretty much non stop for the last few days. Still love him. Want his last albulm but can’t find it. Amazon I hope. Take care of yourselves. God is in control.

He may not gonna miss us But we are going to miss him, and now as he sings and plays guitar for our LORD, Jesus and all of Heaven, He remembers and see our grief and wishes he could comfort the Word but he will watch over all his family and guide and protect you in many ays, as a whisper, a soft touch, or a gentle kiss on the cheek, a quick warm or cooler breeze thats different from a normal day, one of your favorite memmories of the two of you or a song you shared of his may pop in your head. God bless and help you thru this time, I am saddened by him now gone, and I am sorry for your loss,

My heart cries for the loss of my dear cousin Glen Campbell. Glen was my shining light and musical genius. I appeared on stage with Glen and uncle Boo in Delight many years ago. We played You are my Sunshine and It’s crying time again, with Glen’s daddy Wes! It was the highlight of mylife. I will miss you terribly Glen. My deepest condolences to you Kim and family. I hope to see you all again very soon.

My deepest condolences to the family of Glen Campbell. It is indeed a very sad time when a loved one is lost in death. I’m so sorry he suffered. I truly enjoy his music. I wasn’t an ardent fan, but I cried when he died. Perhaps because I know he suffered. Thank you for all that your family has done for AD and caregivers.

Caregiving is the hardest thing anyone can do. It’s not for the weak. When your loved one has their mind affected, it’s almost unbearable. My father died in 2007. He had a brain tumor. He suffered from left body dementia and PD. I now care for my mother who lives with me. I’m comforted by the the scriptures that bring hope through the ransom of our Lord Jesus Christ that suffering like this and other things will soon be brought to nothing. Revelation 21:3,4. The resurrection hope from God through Jesus assures we will our dead ones live again and be whole. May we all look for that hope because God promises that all looking for it will find it. Peace be with you.

About Kim Campbell

Kim is a Co-founder of the I’ll Be Me Alzheimer’s Fund. She is a member of the Patient/Caregiver Advisory Council for the Alzheimer's and Dementia Patient/Caregiver Powered Research Network (AD-PCPRN), and sits on the board of Abe’s Garden, a memory care community dedicated to providing and elevating the quality of the full spectrum of memory care for those with Alzheimer’s in association with the Vanderbilt Center for Quality Aging (ACQA).

Kim Campbell and her associates are not medical or dementia-care professionals. They are not authorities on dementia beyond what they have experienced. Kim Campbell and her associates are not lawyers, financial advisors, or certified caregivers. They write to share their stories and experiences in the hopes that it may help someone with their own journey in dementia care. If you are looking for advice in caregiving or patient care, please consult your loved one's social worker or licensed physician.